Ukraine's Interceptor Drone Tests Reportedly Fail

LONDON, September 15. /TASS/. Ukraine carried out tests of interceptor drones meant to stop Russian jet-powered UAVs in July, but they crashed and burned, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the exercise.

According to the sources, a large group of drone producers was invited to the tests, but the exercise did not go to plan. Many of the interceptor drones proved difficult to control at speeds sometimes exceeding 400 kilometers per hour, with some crashing into nearby fields and forests, the news agency noted.

The episode underscored the scale of the challenge Ukraine faces amid a shortage of Western air defenses and fast-developing Russian drones, Reuters reported.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that new models of Russian Geran drones, which can fly at high speeds and altitudes, had changed the air war in Ukraine by blurring the line between drones and cruise missiles.